Page:A Sketch of Mota Grammar.djvu/20

(16) .—"What for? Why?" Ape sava, i. e. in reference to what?—"What about?" Ape sava, i. e. concerning what?—"I ran because of the rain," na me valago ape wena.

4. Mun conveys the notion of transition, as by an instrument or through a medium, or with the end attained. Hence mun may be translated commonly as 'by,' or 'through,' or 'with,' or 'to,' or 'for.' "He hit him with a stick,' Ni me vusia mun o qat kere.—"He got it by deceit," Ni me taur mona mun o galeva.—"Give it to me," Le ma mun nau.

"Through" at the end of prayers is rendered mun. "Who are you doing that for? For myself." Ko we ge ''munsei? Mun nau kel.''

Mun is used in a peculiar manner to express the object of an action where we should use "for" or "as," and when nothing corresponding would be used in English: "He bought it for his own," Ni me wol mun pulana.—"He took him as his servant," Ni me lavia mun rowrowovag anana.—"I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son," Na te munia mun tamana, wa ni te munau mun natuk. In this use mun takes no article after it.

5. Sur, of motion to a person, never to a place of approach, not merely dative: "Go to him," Mule suria."— "Give it to him," Le munia, not sur. This does not mean that sur is only used of personal approach, but that the notion is of bringing a thing closely home to a person if not of coming. Thus, Ni me gaganag ma munau, "He gave me information of it," merely dative; but Ni me gaganag ma sur nau would imply that he brought the information; and it might also be said that Ni me gaganag ma sur nau mun o letas, "by a letter."

6. Nan is simply "from": "Where does this come from? From Mota."—''Iloke we raule ma avea? nan o Mota'' ma. Nan is used at the end of a sentence without a